Error “Module already installed and is a newer version than available in the gallery” when upgrading plugins from 3.4.0-8 → 3.4.0-9

Hello everyone,

I’m running into an issue updating several OJS plugins after upgrading my journal from 3.4.0-8 to 3.4.0-9. When I go to Website Settings → Plugins → Plugin Gallery and click Upgrade for plugins such as QuicksSubmit, OpenAIRE, AuthorRequirements, Medra, etc., I get the following message:

Module already installed and is a version newer than the one available in the gallery.

In the Apache access logs the upgrade request returns HTTP 200, but no files are added:

POST /index.php/journal/$$call$$/grid/plugins/plugin-gallery-grid/upgrade-plugin?rowId=9 HTTP/1.1" 200 191

It turns out that during the core upgrade, OJS does not create the new plugin directories under plugins/generic/..., so the Installer thinks the plugin is already up-to-date (because the version number in the local plugin.xml is 3.4.0-9) but no code is actually present on disk.


Workaround

  1. From your backup of the previous OJS release (3.4.0-8), copy each missing plugin folder (e.g. plugins/generic/quicksubmit, plugins/generic/openAIRE, etc.) into your current installation’s plugins/generic/… directory.
  2. Go to Admin → Tools → Clear Data Caches to force OJS to reload plugin metadata.
  3. Return to Plugin Gallery → Upgrade; the upgrade now completes normally.

Questions

  • Has anyone seen this behavior in 3.4.0-9?
  • Is there a recommended procedure for ensuring plugin directories are created automatically during core upgrades?
  • Would adding those folders to the upgrade script or installer be a worthwhile patch for the PKP team?

I have same issue with AuthorRequirements plugin